Paul Annear
You have fun, yet difficult decisions ahead if you have a young child showing interest in hunting. How old should they be? What caliber should they shoot? For bow bowhunting, should they begin with crossbow or vertical archery? Even experienced hunters wrestle with the most basic decisions about how and why they hunt.
It’s hard enough to make daily decisions that impact your children’s life, let alone choosing when they can hunt an animal. It’s a heavy topic with a lot to consider.
Tips on Taking a Kid Hunting for the First Time
Can They Handle a Weapon?
In my personal journey preparing my oldest son for hunting, safety is my number one concern. I could care less what caliber deer steps out as he prepares to click the safety off, but I have a huge obligation to him, myself, and others to be sure he knows how to handle a firearm safely.
To introduce firearms or archery equipment, you should spend time at the range with them. I joined my local gun range for $40 per year. I would encourage you to start small, and it all starts at the range.
If you don’t squirrel hunt or rabbit hunt, you should consider it. Maybe I’m biased because my father taught me many hunting lessons while squirrel hunting, but it’s a great way to introduce children to firearms and hunting. If you or your child misses a squirrel, walk over to another hillside, wait twenty minutes, and you could get another crack.
If you’ve introduced them to a shooting range but you’re still unsure if they can handle a firearm, let them tag along with you squirrel hunting and have them carry an unloaded gun, but don’t tell them.
If they are shooting fine at the range and can safely handle an unloaded weapon in the field “as if it is loaded”, they may be ready to hunt. When it boils down to your decision, safety should be your highest priority.
Maturity vs Age
If you’re a parent, you understand children develop at different times. Don’t be discouraged if your friend’s 9-year-old has a few deer under their belt already, and that your child can barely listen to evening instructions like brushing their teeth. It’s ok that your child isn’t ready to pull the trigger on an animal yet, so don’t be discouraged at their delayed maturity when it comes to readiness.
Age is not the most important factor, maturity is, however. Many state agencies agree since the majority have eliminated age restrictions on when children can begin hunting.
As I prepare for my son to get involved in hunting activities this fall, I’m constantly reminding myself that it needs to be 100% about him and the experience. Social media pressures and comparison traps should have no influence on youth hunters or mentees.
I would advise young hunters to stay off social media hunting pages at all costs. Kids need kills under their belt to boost their confidence and engage in the process, not to see that another child their age killed a record buck on YouTube. There are many great opportunities from hunting shows and YouTube, but limiting the talk of big bucks for a few years could benefit their confidence long-term.
Jerry Lynch is a long-time hunting mentor through various R3 programs in Wisconsin and told me, “For a very long time, I have enjoyed the privilege of being a part of young people’s first hunts. I try to not make it not all about the harvest because you don't fill your tag every time out, and there is much to be learned even when the deer cart comes home empty.”
Understanding the Taking of an Animal’s Life
Along the same lines of understanding the magnitude of handling a weapon, your child should be able to conceptualize what it means to take an animal’s life before they go hunting. I don’t enjoy seeing an animal die, but I love the enjoyment and fulfillment of the outdoors and understand hunting is an ethical means of ending an animal’s life and providing food.
Matt Drury of Drury Outdoors told me, “Gun safety is a big concern, but almost as important as that was their mental ability to know when they pull the trigger, they are taking the life of a living and breathing thing.” Drury emphasizes the importance of making a connection to the animal and putting food on the table. He continued, “there has to be a connection to what we are doing and why.”
I would suggest involving children in the full-circle process of hunting preparation. If your child goes from sitting in front of a screen at home to pulling a trigger without any prior outdoor adventure or meaning to the hunt, they are missing out on a critical part of the process. Not every child has access to private land or hunting mentors where they can be involved in outdoor activities, but I think young deer hunters feel more fulfilled when they have to earn it just a bit.
In the last 5-6 years, hunting to provide food has been more widely accepted even amongst non-hunters. Regarding the role hunters play, Lynch said “We want all hunters who participate in our programs to learn about the sport, to learn the role of their quarry in the ecosystem, and to realize the role that it all plays in overall conservation and management. If their experience with us does indeed "hook them" to the sport, then the ultimate goal has been attained.”
Introducing your child to the process of breaking down the deer to provide food taps into a basic human element you can’t get from spending $200 at the grocery store. In the end, only you can decide if your child is mature enough to understand the importance of taking an animal’s life.
Don't Force the Fun
Youth hunters shouldn’t be pressured into any hunting situation. The child has to want to be out there. Let them learn, find ways to make the hunt comfortable, but don’t press the issue. If they are clearly not enjoying it, forcing it may create a negative association with the activity and they may never want to participate again.
On youth hunting outings with his children, Matt Drury makes it all about the kids. He said, “Just about anything goes. We make a few extra stops on the way to the farm like a diner for lunch or a favorite donut spot. Maybe we grab that bag of skittles at the gas station we wouldn’t normally buy.”
If you drive 4 hours to your hunting land for a weekend of youth hunting only to arrive with unexpected rain for much of the weekend, alter plans and make it an enjoyable trip. Find other activities besides sitting in the cold rain hoping a deer steps out. Drury said, “If its raining on opening morning of firearms season, guess what, we may sleep in and make breakfast and then go hunting later in the morning.” Forcing an activity in less than ideal conditions usually ends in a poor experience for kids.
Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve seen many parents haul electronics to the deer stand in hopes of keeping their bored, young hunter in the field so they could wait for a deer to show. While it isn’t ideal to let kids sit on electronics all day in the deer blind, it’s also not ideal for them to be doing the same thing at home. So, where is the line?
In the year 2025, rebelling against any use of technology to pass time by making a young hunter climb into a freezing cold ladder stand or blind just to shiver without any entertainment isn’t a great option. Times have changed. I don’t think bringing a few handheld games or letting your kid play a few games on your phone for a bit is a negative thing, it just shouldn’t be their only form of entertainment while hunting.
All About Them
In the end, knowing when your child should begin deer hunting takes thought and planning. Their first few hunts shouldn’t be about pursuing a certain deer or caliber of deer, it just needs to be fun. If their definition of fun is only hunting a few hours and then visiting nearby family or friends in the area, by all means do it. You never know what traditions and memories will come from those first few youth hunts.
